The UGame K118 was provided to us by UPerfect for review. Thank you!

Since I got my first portable monitor, a 15-inch ARZOPA, I have been hell-bent on finding the best multi-monitor mobile desktop setup. The idea of bringing 2 to 3 monitors in a backpack and only needing a single wall outlet is cool. After searching, I found some fantastic 15-inch portable monitors, including the UColor Q3 QLED monitor, but something was missing. While I liked having multiple monitors, I love having a big middle monitor that serves as the hub for the others. It would also be the main one that I play games on. Thankfully, that's where UPerfect's UGame K118 comes in.

The 144hz gaming monitor is a fantastic addition to this mission and a great contender for being the primary monitor in my setup for a multitude of reasons. The resolution, refresh rate, and colors all help create a gorgeous and capable screen with features to enhance the experience further. And after using it, I can easily say it has become one of my favorite monitors to use.

What The Portable Monitor It Comes With

Before I dive into the specifics, let's go over what the portable monitor comes with. When you get a UGame K118, it will come with:

• 2x USB-C to USB-C cables
• 1x Power Adapter
• 1x Mini HDMI to HDMI cable
• 1x Smart Cover
• 1x Manual

This will give you all the basics to power and connect the monitor. And, with all the cables in hand, let's get right into this beast of a monitor.

The Size and Build Quality

Since this is a portable monitor, you won't need as much space to put the monitor on your desk, table, or wherever you'd like. By itself, the monitor measures around 15 3/4 x 10 1/4 x 1/2 inches (Width x Height x Thickness), but with the cover, when using it as a stand, it will come out to 15 3/4 x 10 x 8 1/2 inches (Width x Height x Thickness).

As for the screen, it is 18 inches diagonally, so we will have a lot of real estate to use. With how big the screen is, I could view everything I needed to. I was also super surprised by how thin the monitor is in general. Yes, using the case to stand it up increased the overall size, but the monitor itself is extremely thin.

The build quality is quite nice because the monitor has a metal base. It feels sleek, sturdy, and well-built. It does weigh a little bit more, thanks to the material, but I think it adds to the quality of the product.

Using the Stand Correctly

One quick side note I want to make is how to correctly use the case as a stand. When I first got it, I didn't understand how to use it, but once I saw a photo and tried it for myself, I found it was a night and day difference.

To use it correctly, you must bend the smaller flap down to create a small wall that will stop the monitor from falling. This will use the back of the case, which makes a triangle back, to prop the monitor up at a nice angle that's perfect for viewing when sitting at a desk and for general use.

Setup and Ports

Once the monitor is set up, there are only two cables needed to get it working. First, we need a USB-C to USB-C cable to plug in and power the monitor. Then, we require either the 2nd USB-C cable or the HDMI cable to connect it to a device or computer. The power adapter will work swimmingly with this; all that's left is connecting it.

There are four ports on the left side of the monitor (2 USB-C, 1 Mini HDMI, and 1 3.5mm Audio Jack) and one dial/button. You can plug the USB-C into either port to power the monitor. The dial will adjust the sound volume for the speakers when pushed up or down, and pushing the dial in will bring up the monitor's settings.

Setup for the monitor is relatively straightforward. Just plug everything in, and you should be ready to go. I plugged a couple of new devices in, and most recognized the monitor perfectly, while one needed me to go in and specifically change the resolution. All of them found the monitor and utilized it in the end.

The Screen

Now, let's talk about the screen. This massive 18-inch screen sports a 2K resolution at a 16:10 aspect ratio (2560x1600). The image is clear and colorful thanks to the panel's increased gamut coverage, which is 100% DCI-P3. For comparison, the Steam Deck screen's coverage is around 70% sRGB. This means the monitor has a larger color space and shows the entirety of it, meaning more color depth, deeper blacks, and higher contrast ratios. This is heightened even further with the monitor's HDR support. I am usually a fan of HDR, but there's only one setting on the monitor, and I felt it made things way too saturated, even for me.

The UGame K118 has 144hz support, which can help push some games to higher framerates when necessary. The monitor comes with built-in freesync support to ensure the games are running smoothly and feel amazing at lower and higher framerates. Trying Control through the Steam Deck, I felt playing at 40 FPS felt smoother and had fewer stutters than if it were turned off.

Speaking of the Steam Deck, I can confirm that the monitor will support a range of 40hz to 120hz from within SteamOS. This means you will be able to play games at 40 FPS and have that fantastic smoothness for games that can't reach 60.

To turn on HDR or Freesync, you will need to use the monitor's settings.

The Display Settings Menu

All of the settings you will want to change to configure the monitor the way you want to will be on this panel. The panel has five different tabs: Picture, Color (which is where Freesync is), Audio, Other (which has HDR and rotating display), and Input. Navigating the menus can be tedious, with the most obnoxious part being pushing the dial to select. Sometimes, I missed and pushed it down, though this could also be my fat fingers at play.

I didn't see a way to exit the menu other than waiting for it to disappear, which took 2-3 seconds after I had stopped moving it. A dedicated way to close it quickly would have been nice, but it isn't a deal breaker. Display settings like this can be a bit annoying in general. I have never been a fan, but this one was easier to manage because it only had one button/dial to control it.

Speakers and Other Features

On top of the beautiful screen, the monitor has some other features to make it stand out. It has DCR, or Dynamic Contrast Ratio, to make black colors darker, a blue light mode to eliminate the harmful blue light rays, and is flicker-free. It also has 8ohm speakers, one on each side of the monitor. These are decent, but their position makes the sound feel like it's playing behind it instead of pushing in front where I am. Nonetheless, it is acceptable and better than other speakers I have seen on monitors like this. Luckily, a 3.5mm port is on the side, so plugging in headphones directly into the speaker is possible.

One thing this monitor does have that I like is VESA 75mm x 75mm mount support. If you have a VESA mount, you can install it on the back of the monitor and use it more like a mounted monitor or one with a stand. This also allows you to turn it vertically and use Portrait instead of Landscape.

Price

Finally, we have the price. This monitor has much going for it, but UPerfect has been a step above others with regular discounts, making their monitors much more affordable and worthwhile. In this case, UPerfect's UGame K118 monitor comes out to $279.99 with its current sale, which is already a great value. To add to it, you can use our discount code: STDECKHQ30 to get an extra $30 off, bringing it down to $249.99. If you use Honey as a browser plugin, you can also get 1% to 12% cashback.

I feel the price absolutely justifies what is being offered. For anything over $300, it would be no deal, but $249.99 is a very competitive price for an 18-inch portable monitor in 2K resolution, 144hz refresh rate, Freesync and HDR support, and with VESA mounting support.

Conclusion

UPerfect's UGame K118 is a fantastic portable monitor that is filled with features to push it above the rest. The 2K resolution, mixed with Freesync, HDR, VESA mount support, and a 144hz refresh rate, make this an astounding deal for the price, especially when it's used with the coupon code. The colors of the screen are vibrant thanks to the HDR support and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and the resolution makes the resolution sharp with a lot of room to work with.

I have used the monitor to write articles, play games, and hook up all of my handhelds to ensure they work. Without any issues, they all worked and performed admirably. Yes, it would be nice to have a better way to control the on-screen display, and I feel the HDR mode is a bit too saturated, but these are minimal thanks to using DCR to ensure darker blacks and a slider to reduce blue light to make sure eyes aren't strained. Overall, this is one of my favorite portable monitors to use and is easily my top contender to be my primary in my mobile desktop setup.

The UPerfect UGame K118 monitor is available on the UPerfect site, but make sure to use our coupon code to get an extra $30 off to bring the price down to $249.99.

COUPON CODE: STDECKHQ30

The UPerfect links above are using an affiliate link, which gives us a little back from sales at no extra charge to you. All proceeds go back into SDHQ and its development.

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